Recommit and implement all ESA pledges

In 2013, the ministers of Health and also Education in 21 countries, Kenya included, endorsed, adopted and signed a declaration of a commitment by Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of their citizens. The process was initiated by the United Nations and aimed to develop and implement a commitment on the SRHR needs and rights of adolescents and young people.

Admittedly, huge progress has been made since in advancing health and education. However, young people still face challenges in relation to their SRHR in the region. Notably, the region has more than 165 million young people aged 10-24. This can be linked to the foreseen risks if young people are not given opportunities to improve their wellbeing.

Political turnover, sensitivities to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and financial resources are among the challenges hindering the full implementation of the ESA commitment.

The education and health ministries made commitment to reach various targets. One was to reduce early and unintended pregnancies among young people by 75 per cent by the end of last year, which has not been met to date. Secondly, Kenya was to develop a CSE curriculum by last year, which is yet to be done. In an evaluation of the commitment done by young people, Unesco reports, little or no access to CSE and SRHR was achieved.

In Kenya, we recently witnessed frightening reports of high numbers of teenage pregnancy cases. What is the Education ministry doing to end them?

Among the factors that led to an ESA regional ministerial commitment included existing international, regional and national level commitments to CSE and SRHR that paved the way for governmental support for the ESA Commitment.

With the CSE-related sensitivities, need for a conducive environment for collaboration between health and education that promote the well-being of young people is required. That will enhance advocacy on implementation of ESA commitments of CSE and SRHR services for young people’s health and well-being and countering common myths.

In addition, we need to create a more effective accountability, monitoring and evaluation system based on ESA Commitment priority areas. CSE aims to complement the roles of parents as the primary educators and shape values of adolescents, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on education, health and gender.

Parents, teachers, communities, religious and cultural leaders, civil society organisations, experts and the governments must work together to facilitate universal access to age-appropriate and good quality CSE for adolescents and young people.

I call upon governments, civil society and other partners in the region to renew and fully implement by leveraging on the existing opportunities to address the long-standing gaps in ESA commitments and make it legally binding to attract MPs’ role in strengthening national accountability.

Ms Kathia is a sexual and reproductive health rights youth advocate. [email protected].